Alma River

A Russian creek north of Sevastopol, flowing into the Black Sea, the Alma is the site of the first confrontation between Cossacks and the Allied invasion force in the Crimean War. The battle is later memorialized in British cathedrals, churches, memorials, and oil paintings as far more magnificent that it in reality is. Flashy sees from the start that it is lunacy to attack the bluffs, and only because the Russians fight badly, Raglan is lucky, and the British troops show "idiot bravery" is the slaughter kept from being worse. Flashy observes the early bombardments from safety but then is sent galloping back and forth with messages to the French, who do not engage.

Balaclava

The port southwest of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, Balaclava is the invasion point for the Allied (Anglo-French) forces attacking the Russian Empire in the Crimean War. The port is quickly...